1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a medical expanding apparatus that can separate adhered neural tissues or muscle tissues, using elastic and expandable thermoplastic-polyurethane, or can secure a space to insert solution treatment material into body tissues.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, the human body contains fine blood vessels and tissue, etc., which may easily be damaged by a relatively small impact. The blood vessels and tissue may also be clogged by foreign matter, which can result in the loss of life. In that case, the foreign matter must be removed from the clogged organ in a short time. If the fine blood vessels or tissues are adhered due to an inflammation or cancer, their functions become weak. In that case, medicinal substances cannot be medicated to the precise position where the corresponding disease has occurred. Therefore, the patient receives an excessive amount of an antibiotic drug or an anticancer drug.
In a dental area, when the alveolar bone fusion is performed, an alveolar bone in the teeth ridge of the upper jaw becomes necrotic, so conglutination frequently occurs between nerves or between nerves and tissue. In conventional technology, the alveolar bone fusion is performed by a metal device or equipment using high heat. In that case, the conglutinated nerves in the upper jaw are damaged, which can cause facial paralysis or even death.
In an emergency situation, the trachea of an injured person may be clogged by foreign matter. In that case, the injured person has difficulty breathing and may lose his/her life. In conventional technology, when an injured person requires first-aid treatment, trachea expansion has been performed using a metal device. However, the conventional metal device may damage the esophagus. It has a limitation to exert its function according to the type of foreign matter or the clogging depth.
In renal medicine, when a urethral canal expansion is performed, a calculus comes down to the bladder and then enters the urethra during the urination. In that case, the patient is in such serious pain such that he/she cannot walk. In conventional technology, the calculus is removed by incising the urethra or pulverized it by shock waves generated by external equipment. However, this conventional technology is disadvantageous in that it leaves a scar or damages the urethral tissue. It has also a high recurrence rate.
In order to resolve these problems, various types of devices having an expandable structure have been proposed. For example, a conventional device having an expandable structure is configured to be associated with an actuator or a manipulator for generating air pressure, so that it adjusts the volume or pressure of its expandable structure, according to the size of a blood vessel or a conglutinating force of neural tissues or muscle tissues, using air pressure generated by the actuator or a manipulator. Based on the operation principle described above, the conventional device having an expandable structure removes the conglutinated neural tissues or muscle tissues and expands the organ clogged by foreign matter, thereby easily removing the foreign matter. During this operation, contrast media is mixed with disinfected distilled water and then the mixture is used in the actuator or the manipulator for generating pressure in order to check the position and the volume of the expandable structure. After resolving the conventional problems, medical substances in solution, such as anticancer drug or antibiotic drug, are medicated to the damaged tissues.
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a conventional medical expanding apparatus. Referring to FIG. 1, the medical expanding apparatus includes a body 15, an air tube 12 connected to the body 15, an auxiliary tube 13 contained in the air tube 12, and a long needle 18 contained in the auxiliary tube 13. The body 15 is coupled with a rear cap 17 connected to the long needle 18. The body 15 has an air inflow tube 16 to which an air pipe 21 and an external air injecting device (not shown) are connected.
The conventional medical expanding apparatus has the following problems.
Since the air tube 12 is not tightly connected, at the portion 10, to the body 15, they may become separated at the portion 10, so that an expandable structure (not shown) loses its expansion function. The long needle 18 made of metal is fixed to the rear cap 17. The rear cap 17 is detachably screw-coupled to the body 15. If the rear cap 17 is not fully coupled to the body 15, the long needle 18 is not aligned with the air tube 12, which causes the air tube 12 to be torn or damaged.